Cruising Heights - April 2018

The April 2018 issue of Cruising Heights pieces together the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines- A320neos problems. Snags with the engines have continued to dog the A320neos prompting regulator DGCA to order grounding of 600+ flights of IndiGo and GoAir. Was the grounding a panic reaction? The engine makers say a solution has been found but the domestic operators' growth plans have gone awry and fliers are in a state of panic.
In addition, an indepth story on the paucity of trained personnel in aviation. It is literally a problem of plenty for Indian carriers as they seek to increase their aircraft fleet sizes to cater for passenger demand that continues to rise year-on-year. Reason: The airlines will need to make even greater efforts to add captains and first officers to pilot their aircraft. Also, the buoyant civil aviation market means that in almost every department there will be fewer trained people. What then is the way out? Special sections on Business Aviation, Helicopters and Statistics. Plus: All regular features.